Apparatus for treating grain, beans, etc., by disruptive conduction



Jan. 15 1924. 1,480,573

F` S. SMITH APPARATUS FOR TREATING GRAIN, BEANS, ETC., BX DISRUPTIVE CONDUCTION Filed March 27, l1919 2 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY.

Jan. 15 1924.

F. s. SMITH APPARATUS FOR TREATING GRAIN, BEANS, ETC., BY DISRUPTIVE coNDUcTIoN Filed March 7 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet Patented Jan. 15, 19.24.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANKLIN S. SMITH, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE PROD- UCTS PROTECTION CORPORATION, OF NEW WARE.

YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF DELA- APPARATUS FOR TREATING GRAIN, BEANS, ETC., BY DISRUPTIVE C0ITD`U'}.\.I011l`.

Applicationl filed March 2.7, 1919. Serial No. 285,484.

To @ZZ whom it may concern: p

Be it known that I, FRANKLIN S. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have in-` vented an Improvement in Apparatus for Treating Grain, Beans, Etc., by Disruptive Conduction, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to apparatus for treating certain food and other products by disruptive conduction, and it has for its object broadly to provide means whereby a product, such as milled cereals, driedA fruits, drugs, lbooks and papers, leather, etc.; also furs, woolens, and the like, may be efficiently subjected to the action of electrical disruptive conduction, andv of a current density suf icient to destroy such insect life as may be I present in the article or product treated, and of properly controlled voltage gradients.

A further object of my invention is to provide an apparatus in which articles may be subjected to the action of a disruptive conductive' current controlled by a condenser or elastor connected in series with the secondary of a transformer.

A still further object of my invention is to provide an apparatus-for treating articles by disruptive conductionA including means whereby the current density and the voltage gradient may be controlled.

Another object of my invention is to provide a construction in which the groups of electrodes are so related to the path along which the products or objects to be treated travel that they will be subjected to the practically homogeneous action of or treatment by a disrupt-ive conductive current whichis being discharged between the electrodes of the opposing groups' of electrodes.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be specifically referred to and pointed out in the detailed description thereof which follows or will be apparent from such description. A In order that my invention may be more readily understood and its practical advantages fully appreciated reference may be 'had tothe accompanying drawing, in which I have illustrated one form of a convenientembodiment thereof.

In the.v drawings Fig. 1 isl a view showing an, apparatus embodying my invention and adapted for the treatment of objects for the purpose herein# above stated;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view ofv a portion of the apparatus. shown in Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a sectional view showing a detail of construction.

Referring to the drawings:y l designates a step-up transformer, the secondary of which is connected by means of conductors 2 to-the. shanks or stems 3 and 4 which are supported4 adjustably upon high tension insulators, a portion of one of which is shown in plan at A5 in Fig. 2. The Shanks 3 and i respectively are connected with and support condenser plates 6 and7. These plates, in the construction shown, are in the form of hollow bodies having wide flat surfaces in opposed relation with respect to each other. These plates are rounded at their outer edges so as tofprev'e'nt too great a iiux concentration at such edges.r It will be understood,

however, that my invention is not limited to' through pipes 13 which may be lclosed byv Stoppers or'in anyvotherpsuitable way. It is obvious that a solid dielectric could be used,

.preferably a wax, such as ceresin.' Coop# erating with the respective condenser plates 6 and 7 are a plurality of small condenser plates 15 and 16. rlhese condenser plates are situated within and are supported upon the opposing adjacent sides of the containers or receptacles 10 and 11.4 In order to prevent possible surface leakage vbetween the small condenser plates 15 and 16 of the respective groups thereof, the lsaid plates are each provided with a small central projection, as indicated at 17 inFig. 8, which supports the the adjacent opposing/surfaces of the pordll densers were employed tions ot the containers upon which the said plates are supported are not shown in l of the drawing because ot the smallness of the said plates and 16 shownin saidl ligure.

The liquid l2 within lthe containers l0 land ll occupies Ithe spaces between the cohdenser plates 6 and l and/the respective groups oit small condenserplates l5 and 16 and constitutes the dielectric between the said condenser plates 6 and 7 and the respective groups ot small condenser plates l5 and t6 and between the sma`1l condenser plates themselves. i

ldach oft thesmall condenser plates l5 and i6 is connected by means ot a shank or `rod 18, which entends through the adjacent opposing sides ot the containers l0 and ll, with a spark gap electrode 20, the said electrodes being situated in opposing relation with respect to each other as is shown in l ot the drawings.

ln' the apparatus as designed and illustrated by me, it will .be noted that l have provided two sets ot conde-nsers, each set comprising or including a plurality ot condenser plates respectively connected in multiple.one of which sets is connected to one side and the other set to the opposite side of the secondary ot'the transformer l and also that the two sets oit condensers are in series with the spark gaps formed by the opposing electrodes 2O having connection respectivey with the plurality oft small condenser plates as hereinbeliore described. @bviously this results in three sets ot gaps in series or in tact three sets ot condensers in series. llt will be obvious to those skilled in the art that. the desired result may be obtained by the employment ci only one set of condensers, resulting in two sets' of gaps in series., or in tact., two condensers.

However? the construction as shown is preferred, tor one reason because it only one set ot condensers were employed it would be necessary that the thickness of the di-elec-4 tric between the large condenser plate and the plurality oi small condenser plates would be required to be more than twice as great as the thickness of the dielectric between either of the condenser plates 6 or 7 `and the groups ot small 'condenser plates 15 or 16. lin other words, it only a single set of conthe thickness ofthe dielectric between the large condenser plate and the opposing group ot small condenser plates would vbe more than the combined nascere thickness oit the dielectric material between the large and small condenser plates in the two sets otcondensers in order to properly control the current density and the voltage gradient. p ln order to convey the products or articles to be treated through the space between the opposing electrodes7 l have provided means consisting of a conveyer belt 25 ot dielectric material, supported upon revolving drums or pulleys 26 of well known form and construction, driven in any suitable manner from any suitable source otpower, not shown. ther means ot causing the product, whatever it may be, to pass between the electrodes7 may be employed, such as gravity feed., etc., it desired.

lUpon referenceto Fig. 2 of the drawings in which the top spanning portion of the belt is shown and in which the lower con tainer ll and the lower group ot electrodes carried thereby are shown in top plan view, it will be observed that the arrangement is such that the conveyer belt entends diagonally over or angularly with respect to the group ot electrodes 20. @ne purpose ot this arrangement is to cause the products or articles being treated to trave"` diagonally across the rectangular shaped group ot electrodes so that every particle ot endpoint within the product or article wil be subjected to the current discharged across the space between the electrodes 2G,-thercby obtaining and insuring an approximately or substantially homogeneous treatment ot the product or article as it travels between the electrodes.

ln the apparatus as illustrated there are tive rows oit electrodes and thirty electrodes in each row lhet it be assumed that these electrodes are one and one-halt inches apart in each horizontal direction and that the apparatus is connected with 'an alternating supply current of sixty cycles. Such a cur rent will produce or cause one hundred and twenty group discharges `per second across the spark gap between the electrodes 20.

The conveyor belt as has been already stated conveys the products or articles to be treated at an angle to or diagonally with respect to the rows of electrodes as is shown in Fig. 2. rthe number oi electrodes between which each inch transversely ot the product or article being treated passes may be ascertained by dividing the number (30) ot `electrodes in each row by the distance. one and one-halt inches, between the electrodes. which, under the assumption. will give20 as the number of electrodes between which each transverse inch ot the productor article will pass; which in operation, amounts to twenty group discharges per transverse inch through the product or article. rllo ascertain the speed at which the belt shall travel in order to secure the number ot dis- 'lli titi

lOl)

llO

- varies with the material.

distance apart of the discharges through charges desired through'the product or article being treated (400 per square inch), the number, 120, of group discharges should be divided by the number (20) of discharges per transverse inch of the product or article being treated, which gives 6, the latter being the number of inches per second traveled by the product or article under the conditions stated.

It is not necessary that the speed of travel of the belt and consequentl of the products and articles carried there y to be treated shall be mathematically correct or in exact accordance with the figures as above indicated, but preferably in practice the speed of travel of the belt should be somewhat slower than it is indicated mathematically, usually about sixty per cent of the theoretical speed.

The distance apart of the discharges through the product or article being treated, orin other words, the number of the discharges required through any unit of area of the products or articles being treated In general, the

various products varies from one-fifth to 'one-tenth of an inch.

After considerable use the electrode material disintegrates leaving the surface rough. Obviously the larger the sphere the less the roughness will alter the spark gradient at the surfaceof the electrodes.

The electrodes of each group, that is, elec trodes of the same side, positive or negative, should be separated from each other a distance equal to about one-third of the length of the spark gap in order to avoid discharges between the same.

The condensers preferably should be of such/capacity that about 3 watts per inch of spark gap length is expended for milled cereals in general and about two watts for certain other products or objects, such for example as furs. The larger the particles ot' the product being treated the greater amount ot energy is required to effect etticient treatment. trodes should be spaced such distance from the product being treated that disruption occurs on or about the peak of the wave.

The voltage gradient across the spark gap should be a few kilo-'volts in excess of the actual voltage required to break down, or rupture, the air. The dielectric strength of the condenser dielectric must be h igh enough to prevent corona or rupture, otherwise the product will be damaged.

In designing apparatus, embodying my invention, the designer must have in mind the product to be treated and must provide condensers of such characteristics that the product or its container, if there be a container, is not over stressed. Special consideration should be given the dielectric of Preferably also the electhe condenser, particularly as to its permittivity and dielectric strength.

In the employment and operation of the apparatus embodying my invention, voltage of the secondaryof the transformer l is applied across the same, that is, thru the sets of condensers as hereinbefore described, or

. thru a single set if only one set be employed.

When the voltage reaches the disruptive value, the permittivity of the dielectric in the condenser being higher than the per1nittivity of the air in the spark gaps between the electrodes 20,`the latter breaks down so that current exists. Upon the breaking down of the air it becomes conducting so that most of thevapplied voltage is placed on the dielectrics ot' the condensers with a proportional part on the conveyer belt and on the pasteboard carton, assuming that the product or article being treated in inclosed within such carton. The apparatus as designed and as above described is so constructed and operated that the voltage gradi-l ents across the condenser dielectric-s are below their rupturing values so that said dielectrics do not break down, in conse'- quence of which neither does the carton or belt, because the voltage gradients across them are below their rupture gradients.

In the operation ot the apparatus embodying my invention either high tension alternating oscillating or unidirectional current may be employed.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus for treating products electrically, the combination of a. transformer, a plurality of condensers, and a plurality of electrodes connected with the respective condensers, the electrodes having connection with one condenser being situated in opposed spaced relation with respect to those connected with the other condenser, and the said condensers and electrodes being arranged in series with the secondary ot said transformer.

2. In an apparatus for treating products electrically', the combination oi a transformer, a plurality of groups ot electrodes, and means interposed between said transformer and said electrodes and in series with the secondary ot said transformer and with said electrodes for controlling the current density of the disruptive current between said electrodes and also for controlling the voltage gradients.

In an apparatus for treating products electrically, the combination of a transformer, a plurality of sets of condensers, and a plurality ot' groups ot spark-gap electrodes having connection with the respective sets ot' condensers, the said sets of condensers being arranged .in series relation with ythe spark-gaps.

4. In an apparatus for treating products electrically, the combination of a translll:

' for connecting one set of said condensers` tormen'two sets of condensens, each set including a plurality ot condensers, means to one side ot' said transformer and the other set to the other side thereof, and a plurality of groups of electrodes connected to the said condensers, the said electrodes being separated and forming spark gaps, and being in series With the said two sets of condensers .and With the secondary ot the said transformer.

5. v In an apparatus for treating products electrically, the combination of a plurality of condenser plates in multiple relation and a condenser plate common to said plurality of plates, a dielectric separat-ing the said plurality of condenser plates from each other and from said common plate, and electrodes having connection respectively with the said condenser plates which are arranged in multiple relation, the said condenser plates and condenser plate, the electrodes and the secondary of the said` transc'former being arranged in vseries relation.

6. ln an apparatus for treatingv products electrically, the combination of a transformer, a plurality of sets of condensers, the

'condenser plates of said condensers being relatively adjustable, and a plurality of electrodes connected with said sets ot condensers, the said sets of condensers, electrodes and the secondary ot said transformer being arranged in series relation.

7. In an apparatus for treating products electrically, .the combination of a transformer, a plurality of condenser plates in multiple relation, an adjustable condenser plate common to the said plurality ot condenser plates and to ywhich one side of the secondary of the transformed is connected,

and a plurality of electrodes connected with said plates, the said condenser plates and condenser plate, electrodes and secondary of said transformer being arranged in series relation.

8. An electricall apparatus for subjecting products to the action of disruptive con-- ductive current, comprising a circuit which includes gaps which are adapted to receive the products for treatment, and means in series with said gaps for controlling ,the

j current densityand voltage gradients across l the said gaps.

which may be present (therein, comprising a circuit including a gap adapted to receive the products for treatment, and electrical capacity in series with said gap.

11. An electrical apparatus for treating products electrically to destroy insect lite which may be present therein, comprising a circuit including a plurality of sets of gaps in series, one of said sets of ps being adapted to receive the products Jfor treatment, said last mentioned set of gaps having therein a dielectric of lower permittivity than that of the dielectric in the other gap or gaps.

12. An electrical apparatus 'for treating products electrically to destroy insect life which may be present therein, comprising a circuit adapted to be charged with a high tension current, said circuit including a plurality of sets of gaps, one of the said sets of gaps being adapted to receive the products tortreatment, said last mentioned set` of gaps having therein a dielectric of .lower permittivity than that of the dielectric of the other set or sets of gaps.

13. An electrical apparatus for treating products by disruptive conduction comprising a circuit including a pluralityv of gaps in series, and a source of high voltage curarent, one of said gaps being adapted to receive products for treatment and being of such dielectric strength that disruption occurs, and the other gap or gaps being of such dielectric strength that disruption does not take place.

14. An electrical apparatus for treating products electrically to destroy insect lite which may be present therein, comprising a circuit including gaps adapted to receive said products for treatment, `and one or more sets of electrical condensers in series With said gaps.

15'. An electrical apparatus for treating products electrically to destroy insect life which may be present therein, comprising a circuit including a source of high tension current, gap adapted to receive said products for treatment, one or more sets of elect'rical condensers in series with said gap, and electrodes projecting from said condensers from which disruptive conductive current is discharged across said gaps.

16. An apparatus Jfor treating products in cartons by disruptive conduction comprising a circuit including gaps adapted to receive vsaid .-products in cartons for treatment, and

means in serieswith said gaps for proportioning the voltageacrossthe Walls of said cartons and across said means.

17. An apparatus for treating products in cartons by disruptive conduction comprising acircuit including a source of high tenslon i iol ico f current, .gaps adapted `t0 receive said products in cartons for treatment, and means for proportioning the voltage gradients along the entire circuit.

18. An electrical apparatus for treating products electrically to destroy insect life which may be present therein, comprising a circuit including gaps adapted to receive 'said products for treatment, electrical con# densers on opposite sides of said ga s and -cuit including a plurality of sets of gaps in series, one of which sets is rupturable and adapted to receive the said products for treatment and the other set or sets of gaps being unrupturable by the maximum voltage impressed upon said apparatus.

21. An electrical apparatus for treating cartoned products comprising a circuit including in combination a source of high tension current, a gap within which said products are treated and means in series with said gap for preventing the potential difference of said source of current from being impressed upon the material of said carton.

22. An electrical apparatus for treating products' electrically to destroy insect life which may be present therein, comprising a circuit having connection with a source of high tension current, the said circuit including a plurality ef gaps in multiple in said circuit adapted to receive the products for treatment, a set of condensers in said circuit situated on one side of said gaps and in series therewith, and a plurality of electrodes having connection with said condensersand from which disruptive conductive current is discharged across said gaps.

23. An electrical apparatus for treating products electrically to destroy insect life which may be `present therein, comprising a circuit including gaps in multiple, a plurality of electrodes arranged in rows in a group, means for causing the discharge of electric current from said electrodes across said gaps, and means for conveying the said products through said gaps in paths extending at a sli ht angle w1th respect to said rows, where L as the said products travel through said gaps past said electrodes, the diferent parts thereof are brought into such lrelation to one or more of the electrodes of the group that they are respectively subjected to the action of current discharged therefrom.

24. An electrical apparatus for subjecting products to disruptive conduction comprising a circuit including a plurality of gaps in series only one of which may be overstressed by the maximum voltage impressed on said apparatus.

25. An electrical apparatus for treating articles by disruptive conduction comprising a plurality of condensers in series, onl one of which is adapted to become rupture 26.` An electrical apparatus for treating products in cartons which comprises a circuit including a gap in-which said products are treated and across which disruptive conduction occurs, and means for` preventing the otent-ial difference of the gap from equaling the sum of the potential differences across the two walls of the cartn.

27. An electrical apparatusl for subjecting products to disruptive conduction, com rising a circuit which includes a gap in w ich products contained in cartons are placed for treatment and across which disruptive conduction takes place, and means for preventling the maximum potential difference of the gap from being impressed upon the walls of the carton.

In testimony that I claim the fore 0in as my invention I have hereunto set myian this 25th .day of March A. D., 1919.

FRANKLIN S. SMITH. 

